Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a vehicle front section structure.
Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2015-054591 describes technology related to a vehicle front section structure. In this related art, configuration is described in which a gusset (a coupling member) of trapezoidal shape in plan view is attached to a side face at a vehicle width direction outer side of a front end portion of a front side member, and a crash box is also provided spanning both the front end portion of the front side member and a front end portion of the gusset. Note that a front end section of the crash box is fixed to a rear wall section of bumper reinforcement configured by a hollow, rectangular cross-section profile.
In the above configuration, in cases in which collision load is input to the vehicle width direction outer side of the front side member in a front-on collision mode, (hereafter referred to as “small overlap collision”), the crash box absorbs collision energy by being crushed in the axial direction (vehicle front-rear direction). The front side member undergoes folding deformation (hereafter referred to as “inward folding”, as appropriate) toward the vehicle width direction inner side due to the collision load being input to the side face in the vehicle width direction of the front side member. As a result, the front side member that has folded inward contacts a power unit, generating lateral force on the vehicle toward the vehicle width direction inner side (the opposite side to a collision), enabling the vehicle to be moved away from the barrier (collision body).
However, in the related technology described above, a front face of a vehicle width direction outer side end portion of the bumper reinforcement is configured by an inclined face that is gently inclined. Thus collision load is input to the end portion at the vehicle width direction outer side of the bumper reinforcement, obliquely toward the vehicle rear inner side. When a load component towards the vehicle width direction increases in the input load, the crash box collapses inward toward the vehicle width direction inner side, and it is conceivable that the front side member slips past the barrier (to the vehicle width direction inner side of the barrier). In the related technology described above, there is accordingly room for improvement regarding this point.
In consideration to the above, it is also conceivable to provide, at the front face of the vehicle width direction outer side end portion of the bumper reinforcement, a gusset configured as a different component from the bumper reinforcement and having a flat face along the vehicle width direction as a contact face with the barrier. However, in such a configuration, collision load is transmitted from the gusset configured as a different component to the crash box through the end portion at the vehicle width direction outer side of the bumper reinforcement. The load transmission path is thereby more complicated, and sufficiently quick and efficient load transmission cannot be achieved.
In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle front section structure that is capable of transmitting collision load quickly and efficiently to a gusset, and that prevents a front side member from slipping past a barrier due to inward collapse of a crash box, enabling the front side member to be made to fold inward at an early stage in a small overlap collision.